Xfinity Mobile Customers: 128GB Google Pixel 4a 5G Smartphone (Just Black) Expired

Under settings, Mobile network, App data usage, the four that ate the most data were:
Pixel Tips (105Mb), Google Play Store (65.09Mb), Google Play Services (16.8Mb) and Google Text-tospeech Engine (11.52Mb). I turned off Background data for almost every app that used some except for My Verizon Services (16.33kB), Phone (49.12kB) and Device Personalization Services (62.21kB) as I'm guessing they may actually do something useful and not use too much data. Messages(2,95MB), Google (1.22Mb), YouTube Music (53.14kB), YouTube(51.08kB), Device Policy (6.37kB), Gboard (4.32kB) and com.android.providers.media (566B) were some of the smaller ones I shut off. Hopefully none will be a problem.
It would be so much easier if they had a setting to disable Background data for all apps before putting the sim card in. With 53 preinstalled apps, it is tedious to go through one at a time, and having to guess which ones are going to eat data before connecting to the mobile network. I believe the sales person did connect me to the local wifi first, but I can't remember for sure now.

I see after a few days of use it is now offering me Android 11. I wonder if that will reset background data on anything? I'll find out soon enough, and put the phone in airplane mode when it restarts.

Under settings, Mobile network, App data usage, the four that ate the most data were:
Pixel Tips (105Mb), Google Play Store (65.09Mb), Google Play Services (16.8Mb) and Google Text-tospeech Engine (11.52Mb). I turned off Background data for almost every app that used some except for My Verizon Services (16.33kB), Phone (49.12kB) and Device Personalization Services (62.21kB) as I'm guessing they may actually do something useful and not use too much data. Messages(2,95MB), Google (1.22Mb), YouTube Music (53.14kB), YouTube(51.08kB), Device Policy (6.37kB), Gboard (4.32kB) and com.android.providers.media (566B) were some of the smaller ones I shut off. Hopefully none will be a problem.
It would be so much easier if they had a setting to disable Background data for all apps before putting the sim card in. With 53 preinstalled apps, it is tedious to go through one at a time, and having to guess which ones are going to eat data before connecting to the mobile network. I believe the sales person did connect me to the local wifi first, but I can't remember for sure now.

I see after a few days of use it is now offering me Android 11. I wonder if that will reset background data on anything? I'll find out soon enough, and put the phone in airplane mode when it restarts.

Arg, you can't get to Mobile Network in airplane mode, so you have to turn off Mobile data and then Background data app by app. The only thing noticeably new in this update is a March 1, 2021 Google Play system update .

In addition to uninstall out of box setting, I also uninstall following:
com.verizon.llkagent
com.verizon.mips.services
com.verizon.obdm
com.verizon.obdm_permissions
com.verizon.services
com.vzw.apnlib

With Tmobile Sim, I have already been through following updates without any issue.
RQ2A.210305.006
RQ2A.210405.005
( the phone is still LOCKED, you still need to wait for 60 days before requesting unlocked code.)

It is a great phone, I do prefer pixel over A71 5G. Well... hmm... Samsung just got way too many bloatware running on the background and most of them can't even unistall nor stopped. Especially, once you log in Samsung Account, you literally can't uninstall it anymore.
Original Samsung package count is 430 vs pixels 305. ( However, my wife prefer A71 5g becuase it has face-unlock and front fingerprint. okay and muct better screen... )

The A71 5G is much better phone. Let's be real here. The 4a5G is made cheap. Looks cheap. Feels cheap.

An in-depth Tom's Guide review came out 4 days ago and confirmed the anecdotal evidence that the battery life for the 4a5G is abysmal. In fact TG said that the 4a5G doesn't belong in the same discussion as other mid rangers and they label it a "value phone". Not a performance phone. Like it's more expensive sibling, it's only strong suit is photo quality. Then we have to also factor in the 4a5G's poor video quality. So even on the camera side of the equation it's not all roses.

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews...hone-value

There's other negatives. When you look at reparability for the 4a5G the entire phone has to be taken apart with an increased risk of screen cracking. Jerry Rig Everything cracked his demo 4a unit early in the disassembly process. The 4a5G has a laggy 60hz 1080p display with poor color accurately. Google throttles the Snapdragon 765G to help mask it's dreadfully poor battery life which is why it's Geekbench score is noticeably lower than other 765/765G phones released in the past year.

I really think there's going to be better choices this summer and fall. The new 5G mid-rangers from Samsung and Motorola are just coming out this month. Oneplus has better bang for the buck.

VALUE: I do a simple cost-benefit analysis by dividing the cost of a phone by it's multicore Geekbench score. The 4a5G math is ($270/1556) = 0.173. The Oneplus 8, which is helluva better phone, is ($470/3155) = 0.148 (lower is better). And keep in mind I'm using the promotional price for the 4a5G. If I used it's normal $500 price the gulf would be even wider.

Try it yourself with other phones and you'll see what a bad deal the 4a5G is.

https://browser.geekbench.com/android-benchmarks

Corporations and governments use these type of cost-benefit analysis calculations when weighing policy changes or when considering a new program. Consumers should employ it too.

I believe in this country when you purchases anything involve post service agreement, you will need to surrender your SSN. You want this deal regardless how you want to pay for your phone, it require post-pay-account. Or you can simply go to Bestbuy and buy one off the shelf.

I purchased the Pixel 4a 5g outright, yet Xfinity wanted my social. That goes against the social security administration prescription of sharing the number with this party.

Can anyone comment on the porting process into XM? I already have (3) lines on XM but am going to purchase this Pixel and add a 4th line for a relative. This line will be ported over to XM from Cricket.

Will it ask me online when I order the phone if I'll be porting over another number? Also when I get the phone in the mail can I do the port all by myself or will I need to go to an Xfinity store? Any idea how long the port would take from Cricket?

Thanks,

-Guru

LoL, you dont even have a job, place of your own, account under your own name such as water, electricity or gas? I believe in this country when you purchases anything involve post service agreement, you will need to surrender your SSN. You want this deal regardless how you want to pay for your phone, it require post-pay-account. Or you can simply go to Bestbuy and buy one off the shelf.